Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Painterly Process

Gosh, can you believe this month is nearly half way gone already? I lost painting time in December due to the holidays, etc. thinking I would find the muse in January. I've continued reading Life, Paint and Passion by Cassou and Cubley. Oh, what fun! It's all about painting process with passion, not painting how you feel but painting what you feel from the heart. I must say I've done a couple of wierd abstract paintings this month. Although now I'm getting back to the small daily paintings, I find myself approaching them with more passion, not neccesarily painting the idea planned out within my head but enjoying the process and letting the brush do most of the work.

This was my second try at the process painting. This one is really a bit strange, and I almost hesitate to show it here. I have no idea what it is about, but on review I decided it is about setting boundaries, so that is what I titled it. I'm sure I will do another of these but don't know when--probably before the end of January. (Note to Martha: Anybody can do these process paintings. The book recommends that you paint pretty basic like you would have done as a child. You just paint whatever comes to mind without hesitation. It's almost like doodling in paint.)

There is a huge movement currently for photorealistic paintings which are typically done by tracing the subject's contour lines and features on a light box or projecting it to a painting support hung on the wall. Then the photorealist artist fills in the image with paint. I tried a few of those a few years ago, but decided for me now I like a painterly look and I'm inspired by the challenge that a blank canvas gives me. Typically with oils I sketch a few image placement lines with my paint brush before then painting from dark to light. With watercolor, I might sketch lightly with a pencil before painting, but sometimes I start sketching with watercolor paint on my brush the same way I start an oil painting. Apparently, a good percentage of the public likes the photorealism art, but I really was struck by a line out of the book Life, Paint and Passion, "If it's already painted in your head, why paint it?" Why duplicate a photo? The camera is it's own technique. To each his own. Painting authentically (passion and process) is my January focus. February will bring a new month.

This is an example of a portrait I did in watercolor without drawing or sketching first, just started applying paint. I did this portrait as a study before starting a portrait commission, different subject. I hope you recognized Marilyn Monroe. It was a fun one.

Copyright

Texas Sauce Art Life ... ramblings about art and life.Published since January 2005. Unless quoting another source, all images and content are copyright Vernita Bridges Hoyt. All Rights Reserved. If you quote parts of this blog, please provide a back link to http://txsauce.blogspot.com/

About Me

Since January 2006 I have been helping homeless pets by donating funds from the sale of my pet portraits to animal rescue organizations.

Artist's Statement:

My journey as an artist has followed a crooked path through real estate brokerage, business management, and the study and practice of Architecture. In 2005-2006 I came full circle back to studio art and daily painting. A fifth-generation native Texan, I am deeply entwined in the land and lore; thus today "I paint the sauce of Texas" (animals, flowers, people, places). I design. I draw. I paint.